Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Orange, NSW and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Orange, NSW: $1,748 a month against $2,821 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Orange, NSW
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Orange, NSW Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Orange, NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,748

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Orange, NSW and in Melbourne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Orange, NSW and in Melbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,748 in Orange, NSW versus $2,821 in Melbourne.

Orange, NSW $1,748
Melbourne $2,821

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,934 in Orange, NSW versus $4,235 in Melbourne.

Orange, NSW $2,934
Melbourne $4,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,119 in Orange, NSW versus $5,650 in Melbourne.

Orange, NSW $4,119
Melbourne $5,650

Living in Orange, NSW costs roughly 38% less than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Orange, NSW 29% above, Melbourne 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.25 A$20.51

$17.43 A$25.08

-18.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.7 A$112

$84.6 A$122

-8.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 A$15.22

$12.46 A$17.92

-15.09%

Cappuccino

$3.46 A$4.98

$4.11 A$5.91

-15.82%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 A$4.60

$3.06 A$4.40

4.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 A$3.11

$2.52 A$3.62

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.76 A$9.73

$9.80 A$14.10

-31.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 A$10.15

$8.57 A$12.33

-17.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.72

$1.48 A$2.14

-19.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 A$4.11

$2.94 A$4.23

-2.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 A$2.97

$2.66 A$3.82

-22.18%

Eggs

$3.84 A$5.53

$5.54 A$7.97

-30.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 A$12.15

$10.51 A$15.13

-19.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.60 A$12.37

$9.65 A$13.89

-10.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.14 A$20.34

$15.22 A$21.91

-7.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.16

$3.99 A$5.75

-27.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.65

$3.02 A$4.34

-15.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.70

$3.10 A$4.46

5.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 A$5.43

$4.82 A$6.93

-21.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 A$2.57

$3.03 A$4.36

-40.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.67

$2.44 A$3.52

4.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 A$2.82

$2.46 A$3.54

-20.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 A$2.56

$1.63 A$2.34

9.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.89 A$50.2

$44.07 A$63.4

-20.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 A$16.28

$12.70 A$18.28

-10.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 A$3.92

$5.54 A$7.97

-50.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 A$6.87

$5.23 A$7.52

-8.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 A$4.07

$3.74 A$5.38

-24.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.2 A$117

$138 A$198

-40.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 A$3.57

$4.51 A$6.50

-45.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 A$2.26

$1.36 A$1.96

15.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.36 A$55.2

$30.45 A$43.81

25.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.97

$1.47 A$2.12

-6.80%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.3K A$42.1K

$29.0K A$41.7K

1.00%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$42.5K A$61.1K

$26.5K A$38.1K

60.49%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$161 A$232

$234 A$336

-31.14%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.33 A$24.93

$27.93 A$40.19

-37.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.86 A$71.8

$55.7 A$80.2

-10.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 A$79.5

$49.40 A$71.1

11.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.96 A$25.85

$21.48 A$30.91

-16.39%

Cinema Ticket

$13.30 A$19.14

$15.09 A$21.72

-11.86%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,142 A$3,082

$2,371 A$3,412

-9.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K A$32.0K

$30.2K A$43.5K

-26.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 A$79.0

$80.0 A$115

-31.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.6 A$90.1

$50.7 A$73.0

23.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 A$205

$121 A$174

18.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 A$158

$130 A$188

-15.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 A$1,182

$1,759 A$2,531

-53.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 A$849

$1,390 A$2,000

-57.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 A$1,989

$3,494 A$5,027

-60.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,478 A$2,127

$2,493 A$3,588

-40.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,092 A$8,767

$6,926 A$9,967

-12.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,225 A$6,079

$6,445 A$9,274

-34.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,766 A$6,858

$4,383 A$6,307

8.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

5.9

-11.36%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Orange, NSW: October 12, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Orange, NSW

$590 33.8%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.3% 136% $800

Groceries & Markets

Orange, NSW

$322 18.4%

Melbourne

$384 13.6% 19.3% $62

Eating Out

Orange, NSW

$257 14.7%

Melbourne

$315 11.2% 22.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Orange, NSW

$228 13.1%

Melbourne

$317 11.3% 39.1% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Orange, NSW

$167 9.5%

Melbourne

$172 6.1% 3.1% $5.2

Getting Around

Orange, NSW

$103 5.9%

Melbourne

$164 5.8% 59.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Orange, NSW

$82 4.7%

Melbourne

$80 2.8% 2.7% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $821 in Orange, NSW and $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Orange, NSW pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $78.0 in Orange, NSW vs $85.0 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $384 per month, with Orange, NSW cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Orange, NSW

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

18:27 6:27 PM

Same time as Orange, NSW

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,127

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Orange, NSW Melbourne 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Orange, NSW
Melbourne

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Orange, NSW vs Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Orange, NSW and Melbourne differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($1,748 vs $2,821 including rent). Orange, NSW is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Orange, NSW, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $821 in Orange, NSW versus $1,759 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,142 in Orange, NSW versus $2,371 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,748 in Orange, NSW versus $2,821 in Melbourne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Orange, NSW but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Orange, NSW the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Orange, NSW and Melbourne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Orange, NSW gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.